


The Wrath from High Atop the Thing

by QueenThayet



Series: The West Wing: Queering the Narrative [5]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: An Aristotelian Confluence of Events, Election Night, Episode Related, M/M, Mostly Josh Yelling, Sam and Donna are pals, Sam lied, The California 47th, Yelling, a little angsty, jinxes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 16:37:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10194092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenThayet/pseuds/QueenThayet
Summary: Sam promised Will Bailey and Kay Wilde that he would run if the late Horton Wilde actually won the election for the California 47th. It would never happen. But it happened. And Sam didn't tell Josh. Josh is, shall we say, less than thrilled. A look at how our favorite political boyfriends handled the day and night of the election.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This took ages to write for some reason (I blame the angst), but it is based on S4:E7 "Election Night" written by DAVID GERKEN & DAVID HANDELMAN and S4:E8 "Process Stories" written by PAULA YOO & LAUREN SCHMIDT (both teleplays by Aaron Sorkin). Some dialogue is directly from the episodes, transcripts courtesy of westwingtranscripts.com as always. Much love and thanks to everyone on the Inception Slack Chat that helped me limp and crawl and sometimes sprint toward the finish line on this one.

“You wrote a concession?” Sam asked Toby incredulously. Toby stared back at him like he was an idiot. Which, to be fair, was frequently how Toby looked at Sam. 

“Of course I wrote a concession. You want to temp the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing?” 

“No,” Sam responded, taken aback.

“Then go outside, turn around three times and spit. What the hell’s the matter with you?” Toby ordered exasperatedly.

“It’s like 25 degrees outside,” Sam protested. 

“Go!” 

Josh came in at that moment and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Hello,” Josh said to everyone in the room. 

CJ affected an accent: “Oh, Mr. Lyman. I see your picture in a magazine. Tell me, if I swallow my ballot, does it still--” 

“A little election day humor—that’s great,” Josh cut her off, clearly annoyed at their little prank. Sam wished he’d gotten to see it. However, it seemed to have wound Josh up a little more than Sam had anticipated. 

“He wrote a concession speech,” Sam changed the subject, hoping to distract Josh and get a little support for his position. 

“Of course he wrote a concession speech. Why wouldn’t he? What possible reason would he have for not writing a concession speech?” Josh sounded incensed at the idea. Apparently Sam would not be getting support from his partner on this issue. 

“The wrath from high atop the thing,” Sam said stoically. He knew Josh was superstitious. Why did he think that he wouldn’t be superstitious about this? 

“He upped and said we were gonna...” Toby was unwilling to say it even when quoting Sam. 

“No, you got to go outside, turn around three times and curse,” Josh told Sam urgently. 

“Spit,” Toby corrected. 

“Spit and curse,” Josh amended. 

“Do everything. Go!” Toby ordered. Sam looked at Josh disbelievingly. 

“Go!” Josh ordered. 

“Go!” Toby echoed. 

Another look at Josh’s face assured Sam that his objection to the cold was nothing compared to the freeze out he would face if he didn’t indulge their irrational beliefs. He sighed and stood up and left. 

He felt ridiculous, but he turned around three times, spat, and cursed before returning to his office. Of course, maybe Josh and Toby were right, because he returned to find Will Bailey on the phone telling him that they were winning in the California 47th. Where he had promised to run as the Democrat if Horton Wilder won. Shit. 

“Bonnie, Democrats vote early, right?” Sam asked Bonnie, trying not to panic. 

“Yeah,” Bonnie responded.

“Ginger, Democrats and diehards vote early, right?” 

“Yeah,” Ginger responded, looking at him like he had a screw loose.

“Okay,” Sam reassured himself. It just looked like they were winning the 47th, they weren’t really. Democrats and diehards vote early. He wasn’t going to have to run for an office he could never win. In California. Three thousand miles away from a partner he hadn’t even told about his promise to the widow. Shit. 

*** 

Josh was frustrated. He’d gone three rounds with Debbie Fiderer and come out worse for the wear, and then he was literally knocked to the ground by some kid Charlie had with him. He had missed senior staff and now he couldn’t find Sam. 

He looked up and saw Sam coming out from the senior staff meeting. Josh couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“In your life you have never been on time to this meeting,” Josh said incredulously. Sam’s lateness was one of the most reliable things in his life. He continually tried to do “just one more thing” before going someplace. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t, actually. I was just incredibly late to the meeting right before it,” Sam said wryly. 

“Well, that’s the trick then,” Josh grinned at Sam. 

“Sam, you’ve got Will Bailey on the phone again if you want him,” Bonnie interrupted them as they walked into the bullpen. 

“That name sounds familiar,” Josh said, trying to remember where he’d heard it before. 

“He’s a guy in California. He’s on the phone and I’m going to talk to him now,” Sam said evasively. 

“Yeah?” Josh asked, silently trying to suss out why Sam was so on edge.

“Yeah,” Sam responded. 

“Everything all right?” Josh asked. 

“Yeah,” Sam repeated.

“California 47th! He was the guy running Horton Wilde?” Josh finally placed the name.

“Yeah,” Sam confirmed. Josh was becoming more concerned, because whenever Sam started speaking in one-word phrases something was wrong and Sam was trying to hide it.

“Yeah, they’re going to lose that by 20 points,” Josh said, plucking the last numbers he had on that race from his brain. 

“Really?” Sam sounded almost excited. 

“Yeah,” Josh said. 

“You’re getting that from the exits?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah,” Josh confirmed. 

“Great!” Sam said, sounding relieved. 

“Great?” Josh asked, puzzled why Sam would be happy about losing a seat by 20 points. Granted, it was the California 47th, and the Dems were running a dead guy, so it wasn’t unexpected, but great wouldn’t be the word he’d use.

“No, I mean, it’s a tough beat, what with dying and all,” Sam corrected hurriedly. 

“Yeah...” Josh gave Sam another look, trying to figure out what was going on with his partner. 

“I’m going to talk to him now, okay?” Sam did the thing where he sounded like he was trying to reset the conversation, or his brain, or something. 

“Okay.” Josh gave Sam one more look as he walked into the communications office. Josh thought through the odd conversation they’d just had, trying to figure out why Sam was acting so strangely. Then he realized that he’d told Sam that the exits had the 47th down by 20, but that wasn’t right, he hadn’t seen the exits from the 47th. He turned around to let Sam know.

“Hey, when I said ‘exits’ before, I meant ‘tracking.’ And I’m pretty sure they did the last one about a week ago and then left town,” Josh popped his head into Sam’s office to correct his earlier statement. 

“Yeah, yeah, they may have called that putt a little early,” Sam responded, looking panicked again. 

***

Sam knew he was going to have to talk to Josh about it. He just kept hoping that they’d lose, and he could avoid it all together. That was seeming less likely by the hour, so he did the next best thing. He talked to Donna. 

He bought her a muffin and explained the situation. She was less comforting than he had hoped. But at least he wasn’t outside harassing Richie supporters to swap votes, so that was something. 

He really hoped the “El Niño” thing that she mentioned didn’t happen. He really didn’t want to go back on his word to the widow. Of course he would have to. It’s not like he could just take time off from work, leave Josh, as they were getting ready for the inauguration, to run for a congressional seat that he would absolutely lose. That would be crazy. 

***

Of course, Donna was the reason he had come out of hiding from his office. He had been able to celebrate the President’s victory briefly with Josh and Toby, still failing to tell Josh about his promise to Kay Wilde. And then he had retreated to his office to follow the California 47th, where the polls had just closed and it was too close to call.

Of course Donna came to check on him; she was the only person who knew why he was panicking and hiding in his office. And she told him about cake, and she looked at him with that look that said “You’re very stupid, but it will be okay,” (Josh was normally on the receiving end of that look) and took his hand and brought him out to the party.

So that he could be in public when the news anchors announced the rumor that “former Orange County resident and current White House Senior Advisor, Sam Seaborn” would seek the congressional seat in the California 47th. 

Sam had never wished so fervently for the ability to disappear. Or turn back time. Or just sink into hell because that would still be better than what he was facing. But it was out there now. And he hadn’t told anyone other than Donna. He had to find Josh. He ran off, looking in Josh’s office and finding it empty before checking CJ’s. 

He opened the door and CJ looked at him pointedly. 

“Josh, Sam Donaldson from the ABC Nightly News program’s on the phone. He’d like to know if the President is endorsing Sam.” 

Josh didn’t look at Sam, who was standing in the doorway. Instead he turned to Toby and said, “Toby, is the President endorsing Sam? Hmm? Is the President endorsing Sam?” 

Sam felt his stomach sink even further if that was even possible. Josh was pissed. Of course Josh was pissed. Sam knew Josh was going to be pissed, which is why he hadn’t told him before this, because he was hoping it wouldn’t end up being an issue an then Josh didn’t even need to know about the stupid impulsive promise that Sam had made to Kay Wilde because he’d been impressed by Will Bailey. 

“I don’t know,” Toby responded. “He’s asleep, but let’s go ask him.”

Toby, Josh, and CJ all started to stand up. Sam slammed the door before they can start to exit, and begins to explain what happened.

“All right, look, this is extremely easy to explain. First of all...okay...how familiar are the three of you with Aristotle?”

“You agreed to run?” Josh exploded, clearly having no patience for Sam’s explanation. 

“Sam, what the hell?” Toby chorused in agreement. 

“I said it for the widow,” Sam tried to defend himself. “She wanted a name for election night and I said, ‘use my name,’ not thinking for a second it was ever going to be a practical option. Can I ask, is your office now the House of the Rising Sun?” 

“Yes,” CJ responded. 

Toby was not so easily deterred. “You did it for the widow.” 

“Yes, and for a guy I met named Will Bailey who was running the campaign and worked his ass off and never backed off and, by the way, navigated a dead, liberal Democrat to a win against Chuck Webb! Five hundred races tonight, that was pretty impressive. Though it was an Aristotelian confluence of events that could only happen to me. I have to talk to the widow.” Sam finished his explanation, still not letting go of his point about Aristotle. 

Josh still wasn’t speaking. Or looking at Sam. This was not good.

“I would actually talk to the President first,” CJ offered. 

“Really?” Sam asked. 

“He’s going to get it first thing in the morning. There’s a seat in play. He’s going to be asked about it and he can’t say, you know, ‘My God, I have no earthly idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Okay. Yeah, all right,” Sam agreed.

**** 

While Sam was trying to share his news with the President, Josh ran into Amy. They shared small talk as he walked her to his office to stash her coat. 

“Want to hear the funniest thing? A week ago, Sam told Horton Wilde’s widow that he’d run in his place,” Josh said, trying to keep his tone light. 

“I know,” Amy responded.

“You heard?” Josh asked, but not asking _when_ she’d heard. He couldn’t bear to know how many people knew about this before Sam had told him. Not that Sam had even properly told him. He’d had to hear it on the news.

“Yeah,” Amy responded, thankfully not providing any additional information. 

“All these events conspired to... like the DNC gave up on the race, so the RNC left town, leaving no one to read the exits...” Josh tried to summarize Sam’s Aristotelian confluence of events thing. 

“Want me to open your door?” Amy asked, as Josh continued to stand in front of it, not moving. 

“I can do it. The President won the Midwest and there was depressed Republican turnout in the district ‘cause it was never a race...” Josh continued, trying to remember all of the things that had led up to the night he won his second Presidential election being somehow, a really horrible night. He opened the door and they walked into his office. 

“Will Bailey, also,” Amy added. 

“I keep hearing that name,” Josh said, bitterly. Apparently there was something special about Will Bailey. Special enough that he could get Sam to forget everything, his job, his commitments, his relationship, and promise to run in place of his dead candidate. Special enough to actually win the damn election. 

“I’ve helped him raise money.” Amy broke into Josh’s self-pitying reverie.

“For a dead candidate, of course you did. Anyway, Sam’s desperately trying to get ahold of the widow so he can have the worst conversation of his life. He’s... just going to have to say...” Josh wasn’t really sure what he was going to say. But he had to say it. He had to tell Kay Wilde that he wasn’t running. It’s not like he could actually leave his job, leave DC, leave Josh, to go run in the California 47th. 

“He should do it; that’s actually what I came here to tell you,” Amy said bluntly. 

“What do you mean?” Josh asked, sure that Amy was not suggesting what it sounded like she was suggesting.

“He should run.” 

“He’ll get killed!” Josh exclaimed, incredulously. 

“Yeah, but tomorrow morning, you’re going to face a very angry minority who don’t feel the President did enough to make them the majority,” Amy answered. 

“Angry House Democrats. I’m shivering, hold my hand,” Josh mocked. 

“I’m saying...” 

“You know what, the President’s coattails were long enough to elect a Democrat out of Orange County with literally no pulse. Any Congressman complaining...” Josh started in, ready for an argument. 

“Will be smoothed over...” Amy interrupted.

“Who has to...” 

“Will be smoothed over if the President sends a top lieutenant still shining from victory on a suicide mission to Disney’s California Adventure,” Amy continued with her point, ignoring Josh’s attempt to cut in.

Josh considered her point, which made a suspicious amount of sense for the party, and for the President. And was the exact opposite of the outcome he wanted. 

He talked to Will Bailey. He talked more to Amy. He talked to himself, running the different scenarios in his head. He had a job, which was to work for the best interest of the President, and the country, and the party, and all of those things meant that Sam should run. Regardless of how much it would hurt Josh.

Which is what Amy told him, as he finally asked her how she could possibly suggest that he support the idea of Sam running. 

“You never had any problem putting your job before our relationship,” she said pointedly.

“Yeah, and neither did you. And that was a ground rule for that relationship. But that’s not my relationship with Sam. He comes first, you know that!” Josh looked at Amy feeling betrayed.

“Suck it up, Buttercup,” Amy said mercilessly. “It’s three months. And either he wins and he comes back to DC to take a seat in Congress, or he loses and he comes back to his job. It’s not that long. If Sam really comes first, if your relationship is that strong, it will last three months of separation.” 

“Okay,” Josh said, admitting defeat. “Just, give me a minute, okay?” 

“Okay,” Amy agreed, and walked out the door to chat with Donna while Josh tried to gather himself. 

Three months, he though. It was just three months. Never mind that the last time they had separated for any amount of time, they didn’t manage to successfully maintain their relationship. They were older now. They knew what they wanted out of life, right? Sam wasn’t running around trying to find a woman to marry to make his parents happy this time. Right? Josh took a few deep breaths, and wiped his eyes and went out to go find CJ. 

***

Sam ran into CJ in the hallway as he was on his way back to her office. 

“Sam,” CJ called his name. 

“I was just on my way. What do you guys think?” 

“We need to talk to you,” CJ said, directing him back to her office. 

“Talk to me about what?” Sam asked suspiciously. 

“We think you should run,” CJ said.

“Why? Why would you think something like that?” Sam asked, horrified at the prospect.

“Well, it was Josh’s idea,” CJ said, looking to Josh for an explanation. Sam was shocked. He couldn’t believe that Josh thought he should run. _He_ didn’t think he should run, why would Josh, of all people, think he should run? 

“Actually, it was Amy’s,” Josh said. Ah, if it was Amy’s idea, that made more sense. Although she knew about him and Josh, obviously; it was a condition of additional relationships either of them had. Sam couldn’t figure out if she didn’t care that it would separate him and Josh, or if she was suggesting it for that purpose. 

Sam glared daggers at Amy as he asked “Why?” He listened to her reasons, which made a certain amount of sense, looking at Josh the whole time, trying to judge his reaction.

“I think you’d energize the state party,” Josh finally added. “We’re not going to let you look like a fool. We won’t allow it.” 

Sam looked at Toby. “What do you think?”

“I don’t think you should do it. Energizing the state party’s good. A well-funded airing of the issues is good. So is mollifying House Democrats, but you have to ask yourself, is it worth it? You’re going to lose. A Democrat always loses in the 47th. Can’t just pick up and try someplace else. They have a name for that,” Toby said mildly, as if they were just spitballing ideas, not talking about a momentous decision Sam had to make immediately. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I worked in a State Assembly race in Manhattan in a district where Democrats outnumbered Republicans 16 to 1. But everywhere we went, there’d be one lone poster of a right-wing nutbar who wanted to eliminate the income tax. And he was holding up signs and canvassing everywhere and bugging the local reporters until we had to comment on it. So I introduced myself to his campaign manager, and I said, ‘What are you doing? Your candidate doesn’t have a chance and neither do your issues.’ He said, ‘This is what I believe. And no candidate gets to run in my district without speaking to my issues.’ I came _this_ close to voting for him. So... I don’t know about what you just said.” Sam talked through his thought process, realizing what side he might be coming down on.

“Then I think you should win,” Toby said succinctly. 

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Bonnie, telling them that she finally had Mrs. Wilde on the phone for Sam.

Sam met Josh’s eyes, for the first time all evening. Josh gave a small nod, and Sam said “All right.”

“All right what?” CJ asked.

“All right. And get me Will Bailey on the phone, too. You think he’s still up?” 

Sam was perhaps making the biggest mistake of his life, maybe bigger than leaving Josh the first time and getting engaged to Lisa. He had been able to correct those mistakes at least. So maybe there was still hope if he screwed this up too. But he was going to run for Congress in the California 47th.

*** 

Of course, getting Josh on board in CJ’s office didn’t mean that Sam could forever avoid the conversation, or argument, that he’d been avoiding all evening. As soon as they were home at, well, nominally Sam’s apartment, but usually _their_ apartment, Josh turned to face Sam and ask the question he’d waited for all night.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Josh ran his hand through his hair, more tired than angry anymore.

“I didn’t think it would matter, I didn’t think he was going to win,” Sam responded, repeating the refrain he had sung all evening. “I just felt like I had to give the widow a name.” 

“And it had to be your name?!” Josh shouted. 

Sam closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wasn’t going to run. I was going to call Kay Wilde and tell her that I couldn’t run. _You_ told me to run.” 

“Because it was already out on national television that you were the name!” 

“Could we, could we just not have this fight right now?” Sam asked, his head throbbing. 

“Oh, did you want to have it at our workplace, at the White House? We’re damn well having this fight right now! I had to deal with all of this, had to try to figure this out while we were at work. I had no heads up. I had to do my job and try to figure out what was best for the President, the whole time trying to ignore what was best for _us!_ Because you got charmed by an earnest face and some clever jokes, made a promise you shouldn’t have, and then DIDN’T BOTHER TO TELL ME!” 

“You’re right. I know you’re right. And I’m sorry,” Sam said quietly. “But it’s not like you’re thinking with Will. I mean, yeah, obviously I was impressed with him, but mostly because he reminded me of you, the way he wouldn’t give up on a lost cause. We didn’t... I didn’t.... It wasn’t like that. And the jokes were written by his sister, by the way.” 

“Okay--” Josh started, slightly calmer. 

“But you’re right, of course,” Sam cut him off. “I shouldn’t have made a promise like that, not without talking to you. And y’know, taking my job and what is best for the President into account. But definitely not without talking to you. And I should have told you after I made it. It wasn’t fair to have you find out this way. That’s not how I wanted you to find out.” 

“Then why didn’t you just _tell_ me?” Josh asked quietly, stepping up to Sam and wrapping his arms around him. 

“It wasn’t supposed to happen,” Sam said miserably. “I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t going to happen and it wouldn’t matter. And then when I thought it might happen I was so terrified. I knew you’d be upset. I knew you’d be angry. And you’d be right. So I just kept hoping that the end result would work out in my favor.” 

“It’s because you jinxed us this morning,” Josh said, seriously.

Sam pulled back out of their embrace slightly, looking at Josh’s face to see if he could detect any glimpse of humor.

“You’re joking.” 

“No, I’m not. You jinxed us this morning. Or yesterday morning, I guess, since it’s tomorrow already.” 

“I went outside, I spun, I spat, I cursed. What more was I supposed to do to unjinx us?” 

“You don’t believe in it. You doubted the jinx, which meant the unjinxing was tainted. And we thought it was fine, because the President won. But I didn’t know about this thing. I didn’t know we were hoping for a loss in the 47th. You jinxed us. And now you’re going to go run in a congressional race on the other side of the continent and we’re going to have to be apart for three months, and I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do this without you.” Josh’s voice cracked as he pulled Sam back into his arms, holding him tightly. “I came and got you from Lisa and Gage Whitney because I couldn’t do this without you the first time around. And it’s just getting harder. How am I supposed to do this without you? With you three thousand miles away?” 

“I’ll only be a plane ride or a phone call away,” Sam said, squeezing Josh tightly. He always thought of Josh as the competent one, the in-control one, in their relationship. He frequently thought about the many ways in which he relied on Josh, but tended to ignore the many ways that Josh relied on him. “And you’ll still have Donna. She’ll help keep you from screwing up too badly, right?” 

“Donna, who filled out her absentee ballot wrong, and then spent six hours trying to swap votes with a Richie supporter?” Josh asked, wryly, pulling back to give Sam a skeptical look. 

“Well, yeah, but she succeeded. And she didn’t promise to run for a congressional seat on the other side of the country and hide that fact from her partner, so I think she’s probably still doing better than I am right now,” Sam said, one side of his mouth quirking up into half a smile. 

“True,” Josh grinned.

Sam pulled Josh in for a kiss. He kissed Josh softly and tentatively at first, trying to convey just how sorry he was for putting them in this position, for making the promise, for not telling Josh about it, for going off to California to run for Congress. Josh let Sam apologize with his lips for a minute before taking control of the kiss and licking into Sam’s mouth with all the pent up frustration and panic and adrenaline and exuberance of the day. 

When they finally stopped to breath, Josh said, “We’re solid, right? We can do this. We’re gonna be fine.” 

“Oh yeah,” Sam responded, confidently, his eyes crinkling with unvoiced laughter, “we got this.”

“Good,” Josh said, pulling Sam toward their bedroom. “In that case, we just won our second Presidential election and I don’t think we’ve celebrated that properly yet.”

“Oh, I suppose that’s true! I heard we did pretty well,” Sam said, eagerly following Josh while unbuttoning his shirt. 

“Let me tell you about how well we did. A clean sweep of the plains states, first Democrat in twenty years to accomplish that little feat,” Josh said seductively. 

“Let’s take this party down south, and I’ll tell you what I heard about Louisiana and its nine electoral votes,” Sam responded as he kicked the bedroom door closed behind him.


End file.
